


You Were Once Mine

by PagetPaulson



Category: Criminal Minds
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-04-14
Updated: 2014-04-14
Packaged: 2018-01-19 09:40:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 6,931
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1464634
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PagetPaulson/pseuds/PagetPaulson
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>They wanted the best for their children, but sometimes being together isn't was is needed. But seeing what Aaron thought he needed now that they were done, Emily wants him back.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Emily did her best to rub off the marker that had stained her youngest's Barbie shirt. The kids had been coloring and making collages before they had to leave the house, and little Eleanor had ended up scribbling on the sleeve of her pink shirt with a dark green sharpie.

Sighing, the mother of three set down the washcloth and looked into her daughter's caramel eyes. "You're gonna have to go and change your shirt, baby."

"No!" Ella's big eyes grew wide, her little lips forming a well-practiced pout. "It's my favorite, mommy."

Emily nodded her head. "I know but mommy has to try and get that marker off before you can wear it."

"No it's ok!" The four year old rolled up the ruined sleeve, bunching the material around her elbow so the marker wasn't showing. "See?" Ella looked to her mother with a grin. "Ta da!"

Emily bit her lip to keep from laughing at the delight on her daughter's face. "Alright baby. You go and get your bag so mommy can take you over to daddy's."

Standing once her youngest ran up the steps of their home, the brunette woman ran a hand down her face. She and her ex husband had only been divorced for just over a year and the chocolate eyed mother was still trying her best to get used to her house being empty every other weekend, her bed missing a once willing participant, now only holding an empty space on its left side.

The mother of three spun around at the sound of footsteps clamoring down her stairs. "Hey be careful!" She holstered her youngest up onto her hip before leading the other two children out the door, helping everyone get buckled into their seats before driving off.

Emily had to admit it; she was nervous. Her ex husband would usually come and pick up the kids from her house and take them out or just be with them there. But now his new house was finally furnished and all the rooms for the kids were supposedly finished, so it was his first time having them for an entire weekend on his own.

Pulling up to the address she had written down, the brunette woman peeked out beneath the sun shield to take a look at the new house. It was a beautiful white two-story home, a delicate picket fence locking in the new beauty on the block.

She felt her heartstrings tighten. It was just what she and the older man she once called her husband always wanted.

Helping her children out of the car, Emily led them up the stoned path to the front door. She hiked her youngest up onto her hip and grinned, pressing a warm kiss to her cheek. "Wanna ring the doorbell, baby?"

"Ok mommy!" Ella leaned forward and pressed the button hard, her eyes widening when the light in the little button lit up. "I did it!"

Emily grinned, tickling the four year old's stomach. "Yes you did, sweetie."

The chestnut haired girl at her mother's side looked up to her older brother, her teeth biting nervously into her bottom lip. "You think it's nice in there?" the six year old asked.

"Yeah," said her older brother, nodding to himself. "It's gotta look good. Dad spent like months working on it."

Kaitlyn vigorously nodded her head, smiling up to her mother that stood staring at the freshly painted door. "You think it'll look nice, mommy?"

Emily smiled, rubbing her hand over her daughter's soft hair. "I sure hope so, Kay." Her body immediately tensed at the sound of the lock unlatching on the other side of the door, and her eyes were met with those of her ex husband's when the front door finally opened. "Hi Aaron."

The older man nodded gently, giving a cautious smile to the brunette before him. "Hi Em." A grin spread over his face when Kaitlyn came rushing into his arms. "Hey there my little princess! I've missed you so much," he whispered, pressing a kiss to her shining hair.

"I missed you daddy!"

Ella reached out, smiling a smile without her two front teeth as her father took her from her mother's arms. "Daddy!"

Aaron hugged his youngest as tight as he could, tickling her pudgy little tummy to get her to laugh that laugh he knew she could. "Hey ladybug. Is that a new barrette?"

The four year old nodded, placing a hand on the blue barrette that was nestled between her curls. "Mommy got it for me for my birfday, remember?"

Aaron's jaw dropped, his eyes wide with mock surprise. "I completely forgot! It sure is pretty."

Emily smiled gently at the interaction, her hand nudging her son just slightly to get him to go inside. "Come on honey."

The eldest of the Hotchner children looked to his father once he finally walked over the threshold of the new house. "Hi dad." Jack's face finally captured a smile when his father took him into his arms. "I like your house."

Aaron ruffled his son's sandy blond hair, looking lovingly down into his nine year old's dark blue eyes. "Why don't you and your sisters go on upstairs and find your rooms?" Waiting until his children were out of the room, the father of three finally looked up to face his ex; she looked even more beautiful than on their wedding day. Her hair dark and straight, hanging just past her shoulders to brush the swells of her breasts. "Hey."

"Hi," she smiled. Her fingers played nervously before her body, her eyes staring up into those she fell in love with. "So the kids have their clothes for the weekend, and Ella brought her markers. But please be careful," she chuckled nervously. "She got marker all over her shirt today and we don't need another ruined shirt."

The older man nodded. "Of course." He moved to give his ex wife an entrance into his new home. "Would you like to come in?"

Biting her lip, Emily shrugged. "You know, maybe on Sunday when I come to pick them all up. I have a doctor's appointment to get to across town."

Concern was evident on Aaron's stoic face. "Is everything alright?"

"Oh everything's fine," she nodded. "It's just a checkup." Her eyes met his, her heart fluttering at the love she saw in his light orbs. "You always did tell me that I needed to remember to do things for myself. I thought I should go and just get everything checked out because I haven't in a couple of months."

Aaron looked to the younger woman with compassion clear in his eyes. "I hope everything comes back normal."

Emily smiled gently. "Thank you." She gestured back to the car she had parked in his driveway. "Well I'll let you go. Have fun."

The father of four nodded, sharing a smile with his ex wife. "Bye Em."

Emily practically sprinted back to her car and slammed the door once she was seated, her heart racing as she looked to the now closed door her family had disappeared behind. "Bye Aaron."


	2. Chapter 2

"I'm heading over there right now, Jay."

The blond on the other end of the phone shook her head. "You never even told me where he lives, you know. Is it anywhere near me? When the kids are with him, do you want me to go and check up on them?"

Emily rolled her eyes, using her free hand to wipe away the random strands of ebony hair falling before her eyes. "Cut it out."

"...Cut what out? I'm completely serious."

The mother of three let out a snort as she gathered up her keys and purse so she could head out. "I know, and that's why you need to stop."

JJ flopped down onto her couch, smiling at the now seven year old son playing with his blocks in the center of their living room. "Come on Emily, we both know that you're nervous about them being over there. It's the first time ever, and you're scared that when you go back to pick them up that they'll be having too much fun to come back home."

Emily bit her lip as she flipped the main lock and deadbolt to the front door. "It was the perfect house, Jen."

"And it's a house without their mommy."

The brunette woman slammed her car door right after seating herself down in the driver's seat, shoving her keys into the ignition to start her car. "But it's a house with their daddy, and they've missed spending time with him." She sighed, shaking her head as she put her friend on speaker phone and setting down her cell on her dashboard. "You should have seen the girls' faces when they entered the house."

Jennifer shook her head. "What about Jack?"

"I had to push him a bit, but when he finally got inside he loved it." She focused her eyes as she began to back out of her driveway. "Ok I'll call you later, Jen. I'm leaving to pick them up now."

"Make him regret it, babe."

Emily's perfectly manicured brows furrowed. "Regret what?"

"Losing you," the younger woman huffed. "Duh."

Emily held in her laugh before finally ending the call with her best friend, pulling out onto the road and starting the drive over to her ex's house.

She knew that she had made a mistake when she asked Aaron for a divorce a year ago. They had been going through one of the roughest patches in their almost ten year relationship; Emily had gotten pregnant for the third time, and only two months into her first trimester she had miscarried.

Emily had stayed in bed for days crying and begging God to give back their unborn baby while Aaron took care of the children and went to work.

That was their breaking point.

Of course they were both hurting from the loss of their child, but both parents of the Hotchner clan had dealt with it in different ways. Aaron knew what heartbreak felt like, and knowing how he had handled it in the past, he decided to get back out into the real world and throw himself into his work and into the lives of his children. Emily on the other hand wanted to stay inside all day and stare at the two sonogram pictures they had taken of their child, staring at the bib her grandmother had already made for them for their newest arrival.

She wanted to shut everyone out, and he wanted to bring everyone in.

They had gotten into it one day, almost exactly three months after the mother of three had miscarried, and Aaron had threatened to take the children away if she didn't get her act together.

That's when Emily asked for a divorce. She had broken down.

Both knew that their love for one another was still there, building itself between them almost as if it were a barrier so they couldn't get to each other if they wanted to. Maybe it was just their time; no longer able to share a bed or a home, only their children.

Emily blinked back the few tears that had gathered in her eyes as she pulled into her ex husband's driveway. She quickly parked the car before jumping out of her seat and rushing toward the front door, eager to get her children back in her arms.

Swinging open his front door, Aaron smiled hesitantly to the brunette that appeared before him. "Hey."

Emily nodded. "Hi."

"Come on in."

The mother of three brushed past the older man, shivering as her arm barely swept across his, and made her way inside.

"Mommy!"

Emily grinned, falling to her knees and enveloping both of her daughters in her warm arms. "Hey babies. How did you like staying at daddy's?"

Kaitlyn's dark eyes brightened at the question. "It was so fun, mom! Jack and me helped Ella down this HUGE slide in daddy's backyard and then we all had ice cream!"

Emily widened her doe eyes as her eldest girl described the weekend she'd had. "Wow really? I missed all of that?"

Ella gave an expert pout, her tiny hands clutching her mother's shirt. "I missed you mommy."

"I missed you too, sweetheart," she whispered, pressing her lips against her daughter's raven hair. "Why don't you two show me your rooms?" A smile spread over her face as she was dragged up the steps by the two Hotchner girls, her jaw dropping after walking into the room her daughters shared.

The walls were a bright lilac color that she knew both of her girls just loved, one bed clearly meant for Kaitlyn looking as if it were attached to the wall with small shelves just above where her head would lay, and a smaller bed on the other side of the room covered with stuffed animals obviously meant for her little baby Ella. "Wow. Daddy sure did a number in here, didn't he?"

"Isn't it pretty?"

Emily grinned down to the seven year old at her side, rubbing her thumb tenderly across the back of her small hand. "It sure is, baby. So why don't you guys get your bags ready and meet me down in the living room, alright?" She made her way back down to the first floor of the home with a smile on her face, watching as her ex quickly hung up the house phone. "It looks pretty great up there," she laughed. "You did a lot of work."

The older man nodded, smiling to the brunette beauty that made her way back into his living room. "Yeah, I wanted it to look perfect for them."

"So where's Jack? It looked pretty empty up there."

Aaron gestured over to the sliding glass doors that led to his backyard. "He's been out reading in the sun for over an hour," he laughed. "It's that book we got him last year for Christmas? He finally picked it up and he just doesn't want to put it down."

Emily chuckled, her eyes catching her ex's as they shared a smile.

Both heads whipped around at the sound of a knocking on Aaron's front door, Emily's dark hair slapping soundly against her cheek. "Are you expecting someone?"

"Yes," he nodded, quickly making his way over to the front door.

"Mommy!"

Emily turned to see her youngest running down the steps towards her. "What is it, EllaBella?"

The youngest of the Hotchner clan tugged softly on her mother's pant leg, her doe eyes that were pure clones of her mother looking almost sad. "Did you meet her, mommy?"

The mother of three frowned. "Meet who, baby?"

"Em?"

Emily turned at the voice of her ex husband, her eyes widening slightly as they fell on a blond woman standing in the doorway of his home. "Who's this?" She could tell her nervousness seeped into her voice at the question, her heart breaking as Eleanor squeezed her hand hard.

The older brunette stepped forward, his hand lying firmly on the back of the stranger at his side. "Emily, this is Harriet Hayes," he smiled. "My fiancé."


	3. Chapter 3

Emily felt her jaw clench as her ex escorted his new fiancé out of the house, and she turned to look at her children. "You two go back up to your room, ok? I need to talk with your father."

The seven year old paused. She knew her mother never used the word 'father' unless she was angry. "What's wrong, mommy?"

"Nothing Kay, I just need to speak with your father alone." She looked down to her youngest and nodded at the look she was being given. "You too Ella. Upstairs, ok?"

Ella looked to her mother with a frown. "I don't like her neither, mommy."

Emily hid her smile, feeling as proud as ever of her little girl as she watched her run back up the steps of her daddy's home. Spinning on her heel, the brunette mother of three darkened her gaze on the man she loved as he made his way back over to her. "A fiancé?"

Aaron slowly nodded his head. "As of last week."

The mother of three angrily shook her head. "I cannot believe you," she seethed. "You got engaged a year after we were divorced? And to a woman who I haven't even met before? What in the hell were you thinking, Aaron?"

Aaron's eyes hardened on his ex. "I was thinking that it was time to move on, Emily."

"The least you could have done was bring her to meet me before meeting the kids!" She threw her hands in the air. "My God Aaron, did you ever think that it would be a smart idea to introduce the woman you've been dating, for the shortest fucking time in history, to the mother of your children? To the woman who would be letting her offspring go and be with your precious Harriet?"

The older brunette's body stiffened. "Don't you talk about her like that."

Emily let out a laugh. "What do you want me to say, Aaron? You gave me no time to absorb any of this!"

Aaron ran his hand down his tires featured face, shaking his head. "I know, I'm sorry."

The hysterical woman let her posture slag. "How long have you been dating her?" she whispered. Despair began to seep through her skin and into her soul, her hand nervously gesturing in between their bodies. "Before we...?"

"No," he quickly denied, taking a step forward. "No, not before we divorced. I would never do something like that."

Sucking her quivering lips between her teeth, Emily shakily nodded her head.

Aaron looked to his ex wife with a soft gaze. "Trust me Em, I didn't plan this. She and I met at a conference and she helped take the pain away."

Emily felt a laugh that sounded almost like a sob pass her lips. "The pain I created, right?"

"I didn't say that."

The chocolate eyed woman shook her head, holding out a shaking hand to stop the father of her children from stepping any closer. "You didn't have to, Aaron." Emily's eyes filled with tears as she looked to the older man. "I never meant to hurt you, you know that. I just didn't understand how to deal with what had happened, and our ways of managing after that big a loss were so different." She sniffled. "It tore us apart."

Aaron felt a knot tighten in his chest at the sight of his ex wife sobbing before him, hating to see those tears slipping down her ivory cheeks. "Harriet was a distraction, alright? We started dating only seven months ago, and to be honest she is nothing like you." He shook his head when he saw Emily's eyes bore intensely into his. "She doesn't like action movies, she's one of five siblings and her favorite color is green. I never tried to replace you," he shrugged. "I knew it was time to move on because you didn't want me anymore, and I moved on with her."

Emily sucked in a breath, wiping her tears that threatened to stain her cheeks. "I see." She picked up her purse from the ground before calling to all of her children. "Harriet will not see these children until I get to know her," she whispered, her eyes glaring into Aaron's as her kids' footsteps stormed down the steps. "Do you understand me?"

"Of course."

Emily looked down at the three who immediately ran to her side and smiled. "Come on guys, it's time to go." She gripped her son's hand tight before making her way out the door, throwing a stern look to her ex over her shoulder. "And they will not be coming back here until your glass coffee table is gone and the corners to all these wooden surfaces covered." Her eyes bore hard, practically spitting at the older man with her stare. "Call me when that's done."


	4. Chapter 4

The brunette woman rolled her eyes as she plopped down onto her couch, staring sadly at her friend who came over the minute she had called. "She looked like a damn supermodel, Jay. She was beautiful, and at least ten years younger than Aaron."

JJ slowly nodded her head. "Em you're seven years younger than him."

"Seven is not the same as ten!"

The younger woman reached out and held tight onto her friend's hand. "If it makes you feel any better, Harriet?" She made a face. "That's the name of your drunk, fat aunt that no one talks to anymore."

Emily let out a sigh. "I just don't understand. How do you move on so fast?" Her dark eyes flickered over to her friend's. "We've been divorced for a year and for seven of those twelve months, he's been dating someone else."

"Honey don't get worked up about it. That just shows how hurt he was."

Emily glared hard at the younger woman. "Tell me how that makes an ounce of sense."

JJ chuckled, shaking her head at the sneer in the brunette mother's voice. "Em, that man has been in love with you for so many years. It took him everything he had not to propose to you on the first date, and trust me that every time he looked at you, even now, I can see that smile hiding behind his really hard eyes." Her eyes softened on the older woman. "You're the one who asked for the divorce, and when he realized that he couldn't have you anymore he needed to find someone who could help get his mind off of everything."

The brunette woman sniffled, letting out the saddest laugh she ever had to cover up the sob that wanted to rip from her throat. "You think that'd make me feel better," she whispered.

"This is just a quick fix that he got carried away with."

Emily took her hand from the younger mother's so she could wipe away her tears. "Yeah well I doubt he'd just break off his engagement because he realized too late that what he thinks he wants isn't actually what he wants." She shook her head. "He wouldn't break her heart like that."

JJ scooted closer to the mother of three and took her into a hug, kissing her dark hair. "You might not be able to rekindle your relationship with him, but you can move on just like he did. Maybe wait a little longer until those feelings have gone away before getting back out there, but I know you can do it. You are not the girl who waits around for anyone, so there's no reason to start now."

"I don't know if I can," she whispered, hugging her friend tight to her. "I don't even think I want to move on, Jen. I love him."

The pair broke away at a knock on Emily's front door, and the mother of three stood from the couch.

"You expecting someone?"

Wiping away her tears, Emily shook her head. She walked quickly through her living room and over to the front door, her eyes hardening on the woman who stood on her front porch. "Can I help you?"

Harriet waved shortly at the older woman, nodding her head. "Hi Emily."

"Aaron's not here, he took his children out for ice cream."

The blond nodded, smiling as nicely as she could to her fiancé's ex wife. "I'm not looking for Aaron," she denied. "I wanted to speak to you."

Emily gave a shake of the head, standing firmly between the younger woman and the entrance of her home. "I'm sorry, my children will be home within the hour and I don't think they should be near you until I get to know you." She smiled a cynical smile at the blond. "And you know what? I don't need to know you." Her hand found the doorknob once more, her fingers tightening around the metal. "Oh and just in case you were wondering, yes your top is unbuttoned to your breasts." She let her brow arch. "I wouldn't go walking around like that," she grinned. "You already picked up one man, there's no need to get caught searching for another."

JJ's jaw dropped as she watched her best friend slam and lock her front door, her steps firm as she made her way back into the living room. "Harsh."

The older woman sat back onto her couch, biting hard onto her thumbnail. "Yeah?"

"Oh don't worry," she laughed, "it was good. Really good."


	5. Chapter 5

_Aaron sighed against his new wife's shining ebony hair, his hand tightening around hers as they danced on the black floor of their rented hall._

_It was their wedding day._

_Five months ago to the day Aaron had asked his beautiful girlfriend for her hand and the younger woman had practically pounced on him, screaming her answer at the top of her lungs. She had almost woken Jack up in the process, but it didn't matter._

_He had known for a while that she was ready for marriage, and looking back on everything they did together and how she made him feel every day they had been together he was ready for marriage too. Sure he had been nervous, having been married before and obviously not ending the way he had imagined, but he loved Emily with all his heart. He knew exactly what she hated to hear when being consoled, what her favorite color was and ultimately, her favorite movie that she always liked to watch before bed what she had her monthly friend._

_And that was only the tip of the iceberg; Emily knew almost everything about him too. The important things anyway. She knew when to get him to open up and when to let him_ _fume in silence for a few hours, she knew how he liked his eggs in the morning and best of all, she knew exactly what it took to get him to his peak. Of anything._

_They were a perfect match._

_The new husband bent down to share a kiss with the brown eyed beauty he had fallen for, pulling back to see a comfortable smile settling over her lips. "You look stunning." He caught the flint in her eyes and he smirked. "What? Have I said that too much tonight?"_

_"Oh no," Emily husked, letting her new husband twirl her around before pulling her back into his muscular arms. "I don't mind being told fifty times in an hour."_

_"It was not fifty."_

_The ivory woman chuckled against the older brunette's neck, feeling his arm encircle her waist to keep her close. "It was pretty close," she winked._

_Aaron bent down, nuzzling his nose against his wife's cheek. "Well can you blame me?"_

_Emily immediately shook her head. "Not at all," she denied, keeping her features completely unfazed. "I mean look at me." She stepped back quickly, gesturing down to her Vera Wang lace, strapless dress that Garcia had picked out specially for her. "I'm completely gorgeous."_

_The Unit Chief gave a hardy laugh before pulling Emily back to him. "Just today? Seeing your beautiful face and body everyday beside me is something that I cherish," he smiled, leaning down to whisper into her ear. "Every day of every year."_

_Emily felt tears spring into her eyes at the soft words, and she wrapped her arms around her husband's neck. "You don't know how much I love you." Her shoulders helplessly shrugged as she pulled away to look into his chestnut eyes. "I don't even know how to put it into words," she croaked, her heart aching beautifully at the look he was giving her._

_"You don't need to say it," he smiled, leaning down to press their lips together. "I know."_

_The newest member of the Hotchner family gave a watery smile, her fingers playing with the small hairs at the back of Aaron's neck. "You know, Jack asked me something really important before he ran down the aisle."_

_Aaron had to chuckle. His son had been so excited to be in the wedding that he completely forgot to walk down the aisle with the rings like they rehearsed, and instead ran all the way down the aisle before stopping at the people he knew in the first three sets of pews to say hello. It had added an extra ten minutes to their ceremony. "What exactly did he ask?"_

_"If he would be getting a sibling any time soon."_

_The brunette man frowned. "He already asked that?"_

_"He did," Emily nodded, smiling up to the older man. "But I told him that he wouldn't have to wait too long."_

_Aaron looked into his wife's doe eyes and his jaw practically dropped, his body stilling. "What?" He watched as a grin found its way onto the beautiful woman's ivory face. "You're pregnant?"_

_Emily tightened her hold on her husband. "I'm pregnant," she whispered. She could feel the happiness that she had when she found out about her pregnancy immediately begin to fill her once more. "Eight weeks."_

_"Emily..."_

_"Mommy?"_

_Emily pulled away from her husband to bend down to her stepson's height, pressing a loving kiss to his cheek. "Hey buddy."_

_The blond expertly cleared his throat before sticking out his hand palm up, just how his Uncle Rossi had taught him. "May I have this dance?"_

_Aaron stepped off the dance floor and watched as his wife hiked their son up onto her hip and begin to spin around, his eyes stinging at the sight of their smiles. They were finally starting their family._


	6. Chapter 6

Aaron closed up the photo album he had been looking at when he heard the front door open, setting the picture of him and his ex wife on the dance floor on their wedding day neatly back behind the protective plastic covering.

"Honey?"

He looked up from his lap and smiled, walking over to the blond that had entered his home to greet her with a peck to her cheek. "You're a little late. We were supposed to have lunch almost a half an hour ago."

Harriet quickly nodded her head, following her fiancé into the living room. She sat herself down beside him as she set down her purse, looking up to the older man. "I just had to make a small stop. I'm sorry, I didn't think it would take that long."

"Really? Where'd you go?"

The green eyed woman looked up to the man she had fallen in love with. "Emily."

Aaron's brow furrowed. "You went to Emily? My ex wife Emily?" His eyes hardened on his fiancé. "The mother of my children Emily?"

"...Yes."

"You went to see Emily?" The father of three couldn't even wrap his head around the thought. Why would she do something like that?

Harriet sighed, setting her hand over the older man's. "I thought that if I got to talk to her then I could get to know her a little better. Then it would be ok for the children to be with me without her throwing a tantrum."

Aaron glared hard at the blond woman, snatching his hand away from hers. "Throwing a tantrum? She is a well-educated mother, Harriet. She does not throw tantrums like a child."

"Do you not remember how she acted when she first met me, Aaron?"

"You had absolutely not right to do that," he growled, standing from his seat. The brunette man pace the hardwood floors of his living room, trying his best to diffuse the anger that he had found himself holding towards his new fiancé. Not even asking him to speak with Emily first? She had no right to do anything that she had done. "She is the mother of my children, Harriet. She is a respectful woman and you just show up on her doorstep?"

Harriet watched as Aaron clenched his fists at his sides. "I thought you wanted us to get along."

Aaron felt his jaw tense. "How do you think that showing up unannounced on Emily's doorstep is a good way to get a relationship started? You give her no notice whatsoever. What if she were with the kids? You know she doesn't want you near them just yet!"

"The kids were with you, Aaron!" The blond quickly shook her head. "I made sure of that before I went."

The father of four stopped his pacing and faced the younger woman, his eyes boring hard down into hers from across the room. "Explain to me why you went without informing her first, please."

Harriet gave a shrug, looking to her fiancé with curious eyes. "I don't know. I thought it would be better so she couldn't come up with any insults to throw at me. But I was damn wrong!" The blond stood from her seat on their couch. "She practically told me I was a whore, Aaron."

Aaron strongly shook his head. "You shouldn't have done that."

Harriet's jaw dropped, her body tensing at the look on her fiancé's face. "Did you not hear me? She insulted me!"

"I hear what you're saying, and I will talk to her about it. But she is still mad about the other day, so you don't just go to her without giving her any heads up whatsoever. You caught her off guard and she got upset," she shrugged. "What did you expect her to do?"

The blond took a step towards the older man. "I expected her to treat me like a human, Aaron. To treat me like I'm going to be the stepmother to her children." She threw her hands up in the air, frustration coursing through her body at Aaron's attitude towards her. "I want her to treat me with respect."

Aaron almost scoffed. "Treat you with respect? You don't seem to be doing that for her!"

Harriet stepped closer, her green eyes on fire. "What about her with me? Why don't you care about her respecting me, Aaron?" She watched as he continued to fume, seeing his anger build and build. "Aaron!"

"Because she's my wife!"

The younger woman froze, her mood changing immediately from mad to dismayed. "Your wife?" Her voice came out as almost a cry, her head vigorously shaking as she slipped off her ring.

Aaron slowly shook his head, putting his head in his hands and giving a groan. "That's not what I meant."

Harriet threw the diamond ring at the older man, quickly grabbing for her purse. "I'm done. Go and see your wife, Aaron," she chuckled darkly, making her way towards the front door. "And don't expect to get any of your stuff back because it's all being burned."

"Harriet wait."

"No!" The blond spun around, her head shaking. "She's your wife, right? Go to her. I don't want this anymore." Her eyes began to fill with tears as she looked to the brunette man. "I always wondered why all you spoke about was her, and I just thought it was because your divorce was so fresh. But you still love her, and I can't compete with that." She turned back to the door and yanked it open, squinting as she looked out into the sunlight. "Give her the ring," she whispered. "She'll find more use for it than I did."


	7. Chapter 7

Emily scratched her finally growing fingernails down her daughter's back as she tried to lull her back to sleep. Kaitlyn had cried to her mother about a dream she had once she had fallen asleep.

The big bad Harriet had chased her down the street until she ended up on top of a frozen lake all alone, neither of her parents were there to save her.

The mother of three immediately wanted to go back in time to earlier that day, wishing she had done some physical damage to the blond woman who had obviously scared her eldest girl in some way.

Looking down to the now sleeping girl, Emily shook her head. She needed to speak with her ex husband on the matter.

Harriet would never be around her children again.

Emily stood and pressed a loving kiss to her daughter's soft forehead before making her way out of the room and down the stairs. A frown fluttered lightly over her features at the sound of a knocking on her door, and she took a quick glance at her antique clock that hung above the fireplace.

Nine o'clock. Who was coming over at nine o'clock at night when her children were sleeping?

The brunette made her way into the foyer of her home and stood on her tiptoes to peek out the peep hole.

Aaron.

She forced herself to stop the eye roll that she wanted oh so dearly to do before opening up her front door, nodding gently to the older brunette that stood on her front steps. "Hey. What are you doing here?"

The father of three looked strongly at his ex. "I need to talk to you."

Oh great, she thought. Lovely ol' Harriet must have told him what had happened earlier that day. "Sure, come on in." She held open the door for the older man and followed him into the living room, crossing her arms over her chest. "It's kind of late. The kids are sleeping."

"I know," he nodded. He stood a few feet away from the younger woman, afraid to get too close to her just yet. "Harriet told me that she came to you today."

Emily slowly nodded her head. "Yeah. I hope you don't expect me to apologize," she chuckled. "She gave me no heads up on her coming on over here to 'try and get to know me' while the kids could have damn well been here."

Aaron ran a hand through his short hair, shaking his head. "I don't expect an apology at all. I completely agree with you; she should have spoken to you first before coming over."

The younger woman frowned. "You agree with me?"

"I do."

Emily rolled her eyes as she took a step forward. "Ok that's not how this was supposed to go," she smiled. "I had a whole speech planned."

The father of three laughed lightly at the amusement he saw behind his ex's eyes. "Sorry to ruin that for you."

Emily smirked, sitting herself down on the plush sofa. "No problem."

"I wanted to let you know that what she did was completely disrespectful, and I let her know that."

The brunette felt her eyes widen, watching as the older man sat himself down on the other end of her couch. "Really? And how did she take it?"

Aaron could have laughed, remembering the fight he and his now ex had in his new home. "Not very well."

Emily bit her lip as she looked at the brunette that sat close to her. "You broke up didn't you?"

After all these years she could still read him like a book. "We did." For some strange reason, Aaron didn't feel uncomfortable sharing this with the younger woman. "I think I moved too fast."

"May I say something?"

Aaron quickly nodded. "Of course."

Emily smiled gently, reaching over and patting the Unit Chief's hand. "I wholeheartedly agree that you moved on too fast." A laugh caught in her throat at the smile on her ex's usually stoic face. "I am sorry that you broke up."

"I um... I actually called you my wife."

The brunette mother of three felt her heart stop and her breath leave her. "What?"

Aaron nodded. "During our argument. She asked why I was defending you instead of her, and it was what came out." He shrugged. "It seemed right."

Emily bit shyly into her bottom lip as her ex husband's hand flipped over and softly captured hers, and she immediately noticed the hopeful sparkle in his eyes that she had seen the day he had proposed. "Oh wow."

"Being with Harriet made me realize that I'm not over you, Emily." He quickly shook his head when he saw her open her mouth. "I'm not saying that we should get back together just yet, Em. All I'm saying is that I think we should work on things."

The brunette felt tears spring into her eyes. "We split for a reason, Aaron."

"And it was the wrong reason."

Emily let out a breath, letting her ex rub his thumb over the back of her soft hand. "I'm not saying that I don't agree with you, but I was just finally beginning to feel settled." She gave the smallest shake of the head. "I do still love you."

Aaron felt his heart break at the tears in the brunette's doe eyes. "I love you too, sweetheart."

The mother of three blinked back her tears as the father of her children moved closer to her. "I think what we need is to go to a counselor, ok? Then we can know where we stand." Letting out a laugh as Aaron pressed a thankful kiss to her forehead, Emily smiled. "Would you like to sleep in the guest bedroom tonight? The kids would love to find you here in the morning."

Aaron's eyes immediately brightened, his dimples coming out to play. "I'd love that."

An hour later, Emily lie in her bed staring up at the ceiling with a smile on her face, knowing the father of her beautiful kids was right down the hall. Maybe it could happen, she thought. Maybe they could start again.


End file.
